More than US$50 000 and nearly $2 million was raised by Zanu PF in donations and pledges by businesspersons during a ruling party business symposium held in Masvingo over the weekend.
The symposium was headlined by the ruling party’s secretary for commissariat Mike Bimha and other senior ruling party and Government officials including Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development minister Dr Anxious Masuka and Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Ezra Chadzamira, among others.
Masvingo was the fourth leg of the symposium, after Manicaland, Bulawayo and Midlands. The ruling party is holding meetings with businesspeople around the country to educate them on the revised Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment policy.
Besides cash donations and pledges, over 2000 litres of fuel was also donated to the ruling party in Masvingo at the highly subscribed symposium.
The Business Economic Empowerment Forum (BEEF) fronted by Mr Solomon Matsa donated US$20 000 to the ruling party as a whole while a further US$4000 was donated to Zanu PF Masvingo for the revolutionary party’s activities in the province.
The Economic Empowerment Group (EEG) donated US$18 000 while the Affirmative Action Group (AAG) chipped in with US$10 000 for the ruling party nationally.
Mashwede Holdings founder Mr Alex Mashamhanda pledged US$2500 for the ruling party coffers nationally while another US$2500 was donated to the ruling party in Masvingo province.
Minister Chadzamira pledged $1 million while upcoming Masvingo entrepreneur James Pande donated $700 000. Men Believe in ED donated 2000 litres of fuel for party activities in Masvingo province.
Other Masvingo-based firms such as Byword Motors fronted by businessman Mr Sternly Kondongwe donated also in cash and kind towards the symposium.
Zanu PF Masvingo provincial chair Rabson Mavhenyengwa hailed the highly subscribed symposium saying it would galvanise efforts to grow the ruling party brand in Masvingo.
“We are happy that the symposium managed to unpack the revised Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment policy to our stakeholders in Masvingo and we hope this will stimulate the exploitation of new opportunities across our resource-rich province to engender socio-economic development.”
“We are also grateful for the cash donations and pledges into the national coffers of our party and also to Zanu PF Masvingo province. The fuel and cash donated to the party in the province will aid our ongoing mobilization drive and the initiative to verify our structures as we gear for 2023 harmonised elections,” said Mavhenyengwa.
At the symposium, there were also presentations on opportunities that abound in sectors such as agriculture and mining, among others.
Dr Bimha in his presentation challenged the local business community to take advantage of opportunities across the economy that have been created by the Second Republic and its policy that Zimbabwe is open for business. – State Media